thoughts on life, writing, geekdom, music, and stories

Tag: Breath of the Wild

If you follow video games at all, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – released barely over two months ago – has become Nintendo’s fastest selling game. The multiplayer fighting game is a hit with hardcore and casual players alike, with its colorful selection of stages, items, and characters setting it apart from the crowd.

Since the original Super Smash Bros. was released in 1999, the character roster has grown from twelve to over seventy different options. Of course, we’re still waiting on the new DLC (“downloadable content”) characters. Nintendo announced that Joker from Persona 5 will be joining the roster in February, but the other newcomers remain a mystery.

I understand the speculation train has long since left the station, and everyone and their cousin has put out a video or article about who they want to see in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I’m going to do my own anyway. After much deliberation, I’ve compiled a list of five characters I think would be good fits for the SSBU stage – not necessarily ones I think are likely to make it there, but if I were in charge, I’d pick them.

Like this:

Before I start, I think we should all just give ourselves a pat on the back for making it to the end of the year. Whether 2018 was the best year or the worst year of your life, finishing another calendar year is really something to be proud of.

As I do every year, I’m wrapping up 2018 with a look back at my favorite music, books, video games, blog posts, and other moments that made the year special. I do my best to keep it brief, but let’s face it… there’s a lot of great things to be thankful for.

Like this:

I hope you’re all doing well and have had a great week! Aside from some rather nasty seasonal allergies, I’m doing pretty well myself. I had a three-day weekend because of Memorial Day, so it was nice to have an extra break from work.

Speaking of Monday, this week I blogged about acronyms in video games and tried to explain a few of the most common ones. If it ever seems like gamers are speaking a completely foreign language, perhaps this guide will help you out a little.

Before I get into the WIR for this week, I did want to make a quick blog announcement – for June – August, I’ve decided to put a pause on WIR posts. This is partly just to give myself a break so I can focus more on doing other things with my blog, but I also want to use this time to experiment with my “personal updates” format.

For the summer, I’ll be doing monthly updates instead of weekly ones, and they’ll be going out on the first Friday after the end of the month (so for example, the June in Review will be posted on the first Friday in July). At the end of the summer, I might go back to weekly posts, or I might stick with the monthly ones, but for now, let’s consider this a “trial period.”

Like this:

Fairy tales have told the hero-saves-the-princess story for about as long as fairy tales have existed. This plot was later incorporated into video games, with some of the earliest story-driven games requiring you, the player, to save the damsel in distress. This trope has appeared in dozens of video games since, but none more prominently than the Mario and Legend of Zelda franchises.

Back in the 8-bit days, both of these franchises revolutionized gaming with Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda. Though vastly different in terms of genre and gameplay, both games tasked you with fighting the villain and rescuing the princess – Princess Peach in the case of Mario, and Princess Zelda in the case of Zelda.

Princess Zelda (BotW)

Princess Peach

The appearances of Peach and Zelda in these early games are classic examples of a Damsel in Distress – no real plot importance other than being a person to be rescued, and essentially helpless (though less so in Zelda’s case). Over time, however, Nintendo has subverted these tropes in their games, especially in each franchise’s most recent entries, Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Although the safety of these princesses is still the goal of your quest, these two ladies are far more than just damsels in distress.

Like this:

I hope you’re having a good week, whether there’s snow on the ground (like where I am) or it’s sunny and warm. Despite the weather, I’ve been enjoying my spring break at home – it’s given me a lot of time to work on things I’ve had to put aside lately, and I’ve gotten caught up on some work as well. It’s been a good week!

Like this:

I hope you’re all doing well! My week had some ups and downs, but overall, it was pretty good. I have spring break to look forward too now, so I’m excited to head home and spend some time chilling out.

This week, I started a new series on my blog called “The Poetry of Metal,” in which I analyze the lyrics of metal songs and show how the artists use literary techniques to convey their message. I analyzed “Panic Room” by Silent Planet this past week, so be sure to give it a read and let me know what I should write about next!

Like this:

A few months ago, I wrote a post titled “The ABCs of Writing.” Today, I’d like to give you a rundown of another one of my favorite things, The Legend of Zelda in a similar manner – for those of you unfamiliar with the video game franchise, think of this as a quick introduction to the games (no spoilers, I promise). If you’re a Zelda fan like me, I hope you’ll find this to be a fun and entertaining look at the elements that make our favorite games what they are.

Like this:

I hope you’re all having a good week and you’re staying warm, especially if you’re in Northeast like I am. If you’re in school, I hope your exams went well (or, if you’re taking them soon – I hope they go well). But no matter what, congrats on making it through another week!

My exams just wrapped up on Wednesday, and as of Thursday, I’m home safe and enjoying a nice long winter break. Overall, this semester went pretty well, but I’m glad to finally have some time off to spend with my family and friends. Also, this week, I blogged about my favorite TV shows, so be sure to check that out as well!

Like this:

This week was pretty good for me! NaNoWriMo began, and I’m really enjoying it so far. Aside from that, school has been going well, and I’ve been feeling less stressed, so overall, things are pretty great!

On my blog this week, I shared my NaNoWriMo Survival Kit, just some tips and tricks for not falling over during the writing competition. If you’re participating this year (or even if you’re not), feel free to check it out!

Like this:

The Legend of Zelda is a franchise that has been around since the beginning of video games. The first entry in the series featured a massive overworld like nothing the world had seen before, and since then, the land of Hyrule has just gotten bigger and better. The Zelda franchise has become my go-to inspiration anything involving worldbuilding, especially fantasy settings like my story for this year’s NaNoWriMo. No matter what game you’re playing, the Zelda series has some great examples of excellent worldbuilding. I’ve learned a lot from these games, and so today, I’d like to share that with you.